Public Works and Environmental Services

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703-324-5033 TTY 711
12000 Government Center Parkway
Suite 448 Fairfax, VA 22035
Christopher S. Herrington
Director

Spotted Lanternfly

Report Spotted Lanternfly

If you find spotted lanternfly, please report your findings through the mobile app iNaturalist.


About Spotted Lanternfly

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) or SLF is an insect that is native to China, India, and Vietnam. In its native land where it cohabits with its predators, parasites, and pathogens it is not a problem insect. However, as with many other insects arriving to the United States from other parts of the world and finding no established natural enemies here, it has become very invasive.

Adult Spotted Lanternfly

Adult Spotted Lanternfly. Photo credit: Lawrence Barringer, PA Dept of Agriculture, bugwood.org

The nymph and adult stages of SLF have piercing-sucking mouth parts that suck sap from the stems and twigs of more than 70 types of plants including hardwood trees, landscape vegetation, and crops such as apples, grapes, and hops. In large numbers they can damage and weaken plants, spoil crops, and make a big mess. In agricultural settings, SLF has been particularly damaging to vineyards. In urban areas, it has damaged landscape plants and become a real nuisance. The feeding causes oozing sap, wilting, leaf curling, and dieback. Like aphids, the SLF secretes undigested plant sugars that pass through it, called honeydew. This drops onto anything beneath drawing flies, bees, wasps, and ants that feed on it. Black sooty mold grows on the honeydew.

SLF has spread rapidly in the northeastern United States. It is a planthopper whose nymph and adult stages are excellent jumpers. Adults also use their two pairs of colorful wings when they jump, sometimes gliding long distances on a good wind. Another way it spreads is by “hitchhiking” a ride on vehicles, outdoor furniture, tools, firewood, nursery stock, and any other objects moved by human activity. The female spotted lanternfly lays her inconspicuous egg masses on objects that if undetected, can then be transported anywhere. Nymphs and adults will land on humans and objects and be moved to new locations as well.

First detected in 2014 in Pennsylvania, SLF has since spread to Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. As of January 2022, SLF had not been found in Fairfax County. The closest established populations in Virginia are in neighboring Prince William and Clarke Counties, and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Introduction, Native Range, and Current US Range | New York State Integrated Pest Management (cornell.edu)

What You Can Do

1. Identify

Know How to Identify SLF

The adult spotted lanternfly is approximately 1 inch long with grey forewings with black dots. The hind wings have distinctive red patches with black spots and a white band. Immature stages are smaller and lack wings. They start out black with white spots and develop red patches as they mature.

If you are not sure that what you are seeing is spotted lanternfly, here are some resources that can help. The Virginia Cooperative Extension created this helpful guide to SLF look-a-likes, Possible Spotted Lanternfly Adult Look-alikes in Virginia. There are also some widely used mobile phone apps that allow users to submit photos of insects for identification, such as iNaturalist.

Eggs, Nymphs, Adults, months of the year Nov - Nov
Photo credit: Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture, Bugwood.org (left); K. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org (right); Red Nymphs - Emelie Swackhamer, Pennsylvania State University, Bugwood.org; Black Nymphs - Eric R. Day, VA Polytechnic and State University, Bugwood.org; Adult - Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org
 
Possible Spotted Lanternfly Adult look-alikes in Virginia. Theresa Dellinger and Eric Day, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech. Spotted Lanternfly, Spotted Lanternfly wings extended, Ornate bella moth, Ailanthus webworm, Tiger moth, Oak treehopper, Buck moth, Leopard moth. Virginia Cooperative Extension
Photo Credits: Spotted Lanternfly - Eric Day, Virginia Tech; All other photos are bugwood.org. Spotted Lanternfly wings extended - Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Ornate bella moth - Lesley Ingram; Ailanthus webworm - David Cappaert; Tiger moth - Mark Dreiling; Oak treehopper - Larry R. Barber, USDA Forest Service; Buck moth - Gerald J. Lenhard, Louisiana State University; Leopard moth - Negin Almassi, Forest Preserves of Cook County

Download the guide

2. Report

How to Report

If you find spotted lanternfly, please report your findings through the mobile app iNaturalist.

3. Control

Spotted lanternflies can become a real nuisance on residential landscapes. They have not been the primary cause of death to ornamental and shade trees, but in high numbers they can be a contributing stress factor by reducing a tree’s abilities to synthesize and store energy. Heavy SLF infestations are very visible and may seem like the primary reason for a tree’s poor health but other environmental factors, especially too little or too much water, have a much greater impact on tree health.

SLF nymphs and adults are highly mobile, moving freely between plants and properties as they move through their life stages. They are therefore a moving target and there is no preemptive pesticide to keep them from coming on your property. Also, SLF may be present in high numbers on one plant or tree and not on others. They may be in low numbers one year and high numbers another.

If you find SLF on your property, take a deep breath and don’t panic . First, identify the life stages present using the identification guide above. Then remember, the goal is to manage the area safely, not to eradicate SLF because this is impossible.

Circle trapYou can safely manage SLF on your property by doing the following:

  1. Promote plant health on your property by monitoring the weather throughout the growing season. Assess your landscape to determine if it needs watering. Mulch trees and garden beds to help retain moisture, control weeds, and enrich the soil. Avoid soil compaction and disturbance to tree roots.
  2. If you find egg masses, smash all the eggs completely, or scrape them into a small container or baggy of soapy water or alcohol that you can empty into the trash or bury later.
  3. If you find nymphs or adults, smash them, or vacuum them up with a shop vac to be smashed later. If they are largely feeding on a particular tree, you can put a circle trap or a sticky band on it if you want. We don’t recommend using sticky bands because a myriad of spiders, native insects and even small frogs, lizards, and birds can become stuck despite protective netting and wire mesh guards.
  4. Remove tree-of-heaven if possible. They attract SLF resulting in heavy infestations with a messy build-up of honeydew underneath. Destroy any SLF life stages on them.
  5. Use a chemical control only as a last resort and only where safe for people, pets, and wildlife. See below for more information about chemical control.

There are horticultural oils and pesticides approved for use to control SLF. They can be effective at killing spotted lanternfly when applied according to their labels. If it is necessary to use one, it should be used with great caution to protect yourself, other people, pets, birds, insects, and a host of pollinators that share some of the same plants as spotted lanternfly.

You can ask yourself these questions to determine if the use of an oil or pesticide is necessary,

  1. How many SLF are present?
  2. Are they damaging critical or valuable plants?
  3. Are they seriously damaging the same plant or tree for multiple years?
  4. Where are the SLF located – up high or down low?
  5. Will mechanical actions such as smashing suffice?
  6. Will circle traps, or sticky bands, or vacuuming suffice?
  7. Finally, is a chemical control necessary to save a plant or tree?

Not every tree needs to be treated. You will need to assess each tree in its current state. The following should be considered before deciding to apply pesticide to an infested tree,

  1. SLF are only known to kill tree saplings, tree-of-heaven, and grapevines. SLF have shown a preference for fruit trees, maples, black walnuts, birch, and willows, but will not kill the trees.
  2. It’s difficult to predict where SLF will feed. SLF may not feed on the same trees every year or even the same trees throughout the season.
  3. A healthy tree can sustain some SLF feeding.
  4. Don’t assume that what happened last year will happen again this year or that what is happening this year will happen again next year.
  5. Always follow the label precisely for any application you make. Always apply products well after the tree and adjacent trees and plants have finished flowering to avoid killing pollinators.
  6. Before using any product, you must read its label. The label is the law! The label contains the active ingredient(s), method of application, and the timing of application. It is important to follow the label to understand how to effectively use the product and minimize environmental damage, and to stay in compliance with state and federal law.
  7. If you are not comfortable with applying pesticides yourself you can hire a pest management professional, however, keep in mind that there is currently no long-term treatment for SLF. Annual treatments would likely be required for persistent infestations.
  8. Beware of individuals who go door-to-door offering bargains. Please see How to Hire an Arborist or Tree Care Company

We recommend consulting the following resources for more information about SLF management on your property. They contain more detailed information about SLF management strategies and guidance on the type of pesticide that could suit your SLF management goals.

Spotted Lanternfly in Virginia | Virginia Cooperative Extension | Virginia Tech (vt.edu)

Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide (psu.edu)

4. Quarantine

Spotted Lanternfly hitches a ride
A spotted lanternfly nymph landed on the back of a visitor’s jacket in Winchester, VA, attempting to hitch a ride to an un-infested area. The nymph was captured and destroyed.

Prevent SLF from spreading. Observe the existing quarantine by following these guidelines:

  • Don’t move firewood from one location to another. Get it where you burn it.
  • If visiting infested or quarantined areas, don’t park under trees or near bushes. Keep windows closed tight. Check vehicles and yourself for SLF “hitchhikers” before departing.
  • Before moving anything from your property inspect it for SLF life stages.
  • A checklist of ways the public can stop the spread can be viewed here, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)

About Tree-of-Heaven

Tree of Heaven
Photo credit: Chuck Bargeron bugwood.org

Photo credit: Chuck Bargeron, bugwood.org

The spotted lanternfly’s most preferred host is its native host tree from East Asia, the tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Here in Fairfax County, tree-of-heaven is an unwelcome invasive tree that does not support our native insects and competes with our native vegetation. SLF typically finds tree-of-heaven first then spreads to other plant species. Removal of tree-of-heaven from County-owned property is already underway to eliminate a nuisance tree and to slow the spread of SLF. A new method of control is currently being developed by Virginia Tech and will be tested here in Fairfax in the spring of 2022. The application of a native fungus will be tested to see how well it will control well-established clumps of tree-of-heaven. If successful, it may prove to be a better control method than those currently available. We are also keeping abreast of other biological controls for SLF such as parasites or fungi that may be approved for use in the future.

Download the Tree of Heaven Brochure

Leaf, bark, branch structure, twig with pith, fruit (samara)Tree-of-heaven has several unique features that distinguish it from similar looking native trees, such as the shape and underside of its leaves, its odor, and its seeds. Please see this visual guide to tree-of-heaven identification, Tree Identification – Virginia Tech, or this video explanation from Penn State, [Tree-of-heaven: Accurate Identification]. As with insect identification, plant identification can be challenging for beginners. Mobile phone apps such as iNaturalist are free to use and can be helpful.

Download the Tree of Heaven Brochure

Remove tree-of-heaven from your property to reduce the impact of SLF. This may not prevent SLF from infesting your property, but it does take away a preferred food source. This is especially important near patios, decks, playgrounds, vehicles, and high value plants where honeydew can buildup on surfaces under the tree. Honeydew is harmless to people, but its sweetness attracts ants, flies, bees, and wasps. If the sticky buildup is not removed, it may begin to develop a sooty mold which can block sunlight from plants and stain surfaces. These are a major nuisance to homeowners and can diminish the enjoyment of being outdoors

Cutting the stem and leaving its roots does not permanently eliminate tree-of-heaven. A cut stump will be stimulated to grow new sprouts near it. Each of those would then need to be cut until the roots eventually die. Eliminating tree-of-heaven completely requires physically removing the entire plant including its roots. Pulling or digging out the roots is only practical with young saplings. Larger trees and stump resprouts require the use of herbicides for complete control. Please see the Virginia Department of Forestry Control and Utilization of Tree-of-heaven publication for more information.

Urban and Community Forestry Division is looking for tree-of-heaven on County property. If you find tree-of-heaven on County property, please report your observation using the EDDMapS mobile app or EDDMapS website.

View the Tree of Heaven Reporting Handout.

FAQs

Take a picture and report it! Report your findings on the mobile app iNaturalist.

SLF will not harm most trees and yard plants. However, expect SLF to become a general nuisance because of the honeydew it excretes, which may encourage the growth of sooty mold and attract stinging insects. Additionally, they do not sting, bite, or cause harm to pets. Although if dogs and cats eat enough of them, they may vomit.

Tree-of-heaven cannot be simply cut down or mowed over as it will resprout heavily and spread. Effective management of tree-of-heaven requires removal of its root system or use of herbicide. Please refer to the Virginia Department of Forestry publication Control and Utilization of Tree-of-heaven for more information.

Please report tree-of-heaven through the EDDMapS mobile app or EDDMapS website.

Forest Pest staff are monitoring SLF Countywide in conjunction with the USDA APHIS Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). High transit corridors such as rail lines, major highways, and rest stops are being checked. Finding it early will provide the best chance to control it.

For more information about tree pests and tree care, call the urban forester of the day at 703-324-1770 | TTY 711 or contact the Forest Health Branch by email.

Fairfax County Spotted Lanternfly Management Plan


Fairfax Virtual Assistant